Trust God Not Fear - 4

Trust God Not Fear - 4

Subject – Battling our Emotions When a Test Comes

by Rick Welborne

1 Peter 4:7-8 (NKJV)
⁷  But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
⁸  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NKJV)
¹  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
²  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
³  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
⁴  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
⁵  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
⁶  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
⁷  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸  Love never fails…

¹³  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Mark Twain – If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and man.

--Let me give you this example about man’s best friend…I have heard married men and women say about their spouse…they are not only my husband or wife; they are my best friend.

--Let’s compare our spouses to our dogs…men, let’s say we lock our wives and our dog in the trunk of our car for, let’s say, an hour. Who do you think will be glad to see you when you open the trunk?

--The dog will still love you and be loyal to you, while your spouse may have you arrested or not speak to you for the next twenty years, if ever. Human beings struggle more to forgive than dogs do.

--It is obvious that the people we love the most are the ones who can hurt us the most deeply. Our goal is to learn to love people like we have never been hurt. Why is this necessary?

--As surely as you are listening to this message today you can count on the fact that someone is going to break your heart, someone is going to abandon you or leave you. You will be hurt.

--Someone is going to say something that is going to hurt you, someone is going to disappoint you, someone is going to let you down, lie to you, stab you in the back. Someone is going to reject you!

--There’s a really good chance that most of you listening to me today have been hurt and wounded like this. You may be remembering their face now.

--It may have been the mom or dad who walked out when you were a child, the spouse who cheated on you, the sibling who has not talked to you in 20 years, a child who rejected you and your God.

--The truth is, on some level, we all have given our love and our heart to someone who rejected it. We were wounded and felt betrayed. Now you feel the love supply is diminished. I can’t do that again.

--You don’t even know if it is possible for you to love like that again or you have made a conscious or unconscious decision not to put yourself out there again…the risks are too great.

--Let’s face it, any of us can love when everything is going well, when our politics agree, when our theology is the same, when our marriage or our church is in a honeymoon phase. No one lives there all the time.

Matthew 18:7 (NKJV)
⁷  Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

John 16:33 (NKJV)
³³  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

--Getting hurt is a part of life…it is inevitable but it does not have to be the end of the story…the end of your story. God does not want us to be walking wounded or part of the walking dead club.

--God intended for us to be healed and whole. He intended for us to be able to love like we have never been hurt. Why? That is what He has done and we are made in His image.

Luke 23:33-36 (NKJV)
³³  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
³⁴  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
³⁵  And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."
³⁶  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine,

1. Stop probing the wounds.

Psalm 38:2-8 (NLT2)
²  Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me.
³  Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.
⁴  My guilt overwhelms me— it is a burden too heavy to bear.
⁵  My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.
⁶  I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.
⁷  A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken.
⁸  I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. 

--Listen to David anguishing over his foolish sins…he is wounded…his wounds are festered…he is in pain and he is filled with grief…he is almost to the point of dysfunction because he wouldn’t deal with his wounds. 

--My whole life has been a story…Pastor Juan says I am a story teller…I hope he doesn’t mean like my parents did…you are not telling the truth! Of course, I have a story about wounds!

--When I worked at the Paper Mill in Bastrop, Louisiana, much to my distress, they put me on the paper machines which meant they needed someone with a strong back and could take heat…very hot!

--One night a roll of paper came off the machines that was defected…this was not paper for notebooks but thick ruff paper for making cardboard boxes. These rolls were about eight feet high.

--My boss (the third hand) told me to take my paper knife and as quickly as I could cut through that paper and let it fall into the opening in the floor which recycled the bad paper thru the machines. Yes, sir.

--We did not have half inch or one-inch-long blades on a fancy handle…the machine shop made these knives for us…four inches long with a water hose for a handle forced over the dull end of the blade. Sharp as razors.

--Each swipe of the blade you were cutting two to three inches of paper…being a manly man I wanted to show my boss and the other guys how fast I could work and how much paper I could cut at one time. I fell.

--On my way to the floor I was trying to get my hands out in front of me to catch myself…the razor sharp knife in my left hand cut my right thumb all the way from the wrist to the nail…ouch. You could see the bone!

--I went to the nurse…she said you definitely need stiches…lots of them but we cannot mess up our safety record so we will have to patch you up here…she put 6 – 7 butterfly bandages on me…right back to work.

--The dust, sweat, and nastiness of the paper mill kept the wound infected…went to the nurse several times…

Mom was a nurse…all of them were probing the wound trying to fix it…only got worse. Bad infection.

--I should have gone to the doctor and received stiches…I can fix this or it will get better over time. I almost lost my thumb it was so bad. So what’s your point, Pastor Rick.

--Instead of dealing with our hurts and wounds we keep probing them…we replay bad memories over and over again, we talk to anyone who will listen, we think of ways of getting even. 

--We poke and prod at our gaping wounds and the infection gets so bad that we eventually get bitter. Jesus is waiting for us to come to Him to get free but we stubbornly keep going down this destructive path.

--This is not how God wants us to live, He wants to give us a new beginning, a new story, a fresh start. He wants to heal what has been broken. He wants to reconcile what has been torn apart.

Luke 4:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 

Jensen Franklin – This is about understanding biblical forgiveness and reconciliation and establishing healthy boundaries. Love without limits is not about codependence or irrational thinking, and it is not an invitation to be used as a doormat or a whipping post.

--Biblical forgiveness is more about your spiritual health than it is about letting the other person off the hook. Forgiving them is about freeing you!

2. The bottom line is about healing relationships.

--Unfortunately, the body of Christ is full of parents who are estranged from their own children. Some of us, (myself included) have not spoken to family members for more than 20 years. Of course, not by my choice.

--Some grandchildren have never even met their grandparents. Some believers who were abused or misused when they were young still harbor hurt and resentment. This makes it hard to have good relationships now.

--Some (I will dare say many) in the church live with spouses, children, or parents where there is strife, anger, and continual hurt but no one will make the move toward reconciliation because of pride or bitterness.

--Some people have lost loved ones and now are too hurt to figure out how to love the ones that are left. The truth is, the only thing that will heal these relationships is love. Listen to the love chapter…relationships.

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NLT2)
¹  If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
²  If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
³  If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
⁴  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
⁵  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
⁶  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
⁷  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

--One of the reasons your pastor reads these verses at weddings is because there is no place like marriage that tests your willingness to work on relationships. Marriage is tough but if you are willing to love…it will be ok!

--Love is such a powerful force. Paul is saying that we place these gifts of power over loving one another and having good relationships. Prophesying, having discernment, moving mountains without love will fail.

--I dare you to take the test…what test, Pastor Rick? Read 1 Cor. 13:4-7 (NLT2) in light of your home and in light of how much you love and see how you do. Many in the church can’t even get 50%...sad. 

⁴  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
⁵  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
⁶  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
⁷  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

3. What really matters most.

--When we choose to love God, love ourselves, and love others we can learn to love despite what happened to us way back then…what they did way back then…when we love we can heal generations of hurt.

2 Corinthians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

Franklin – It is never wrong to love, it is never out of order to love, you do not compromise when you love, you never lower your standards when you love. 

--Do you remember what Jesus said when He was asked what is the greatest commandment?

Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV)
³⁷  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
³⁸  This is the first and great commandment.
³⁹  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

--What matters most is that we love like Jesus did…we love like we have never been hurt.

Easter – 2020

Easter – 2020

Subject – Fear the God Who Has Resurrection Power

by Rick Welborne

Luke 24:1-12 (NKJV) 
¹  Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
²  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
³  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
⁴  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
⁵  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
⁶  He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
⁷  saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "
⁸  And they remembered His words.
⁹  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
¹⁰  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
¹¹  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
¹²  But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. 

Resurrection - Webster’s Collegiate - a rising from the dead...a coming back to life...the state of having risen from the dead.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Resurrection - New Testament Greek - "stand up," and "raise." Old Testament,, "live," Hebrew "rise," Hebrew "awake".

–Putting these two together...resurrection is for those who were or are dead to rise from their lifeless existence. To come back to life. To stand up and come out of their graves. To awake and live again.

–A verse that is forever ingrained in my heart and mind is:

Romans 8:11 (NKJV)

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

--I guess the question we need to present you with on this resurrection Sunday is this…Does the same Spirit (Holy Spirit) Who raised Jesus from the dead dwell inside of you. He can! He is the key to resurrection!

--Maybe another question we need to ask in light of Covid 19 is what kind of church and what kind of believers do we want to be in the middle of and on the other side of this Pandemic? 

--Our world needs a resurrected church sharing the love of Jesus with them and they definitely need a resurrected Savior in their hearts and lives. 

--Are we a church that is truly alive or do we just have a reputation of being alive but maybe are dead. I believe the Coronavirus was meant to be a wakeup call for the church.

Revelation 3:1-3 (NLT2) 
¹  “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
²  Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
³  Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. 

--Pastor Rick, we are a very much alive church. We have great services and we invite Holy Spirit to come every service. Having resurrection power is more than having exciting services.

--Resurrection power is about seeing lives transformed from death to life, from darkness to life, from addiction to freedom, from sadness to rejoicing, from hopelessness and despair to great hope! 

--Countries, doctors, scientist are all scrambling to find the cure for this deadly virus that is ravaging the world and oh what joy it will be when we find the cure. We will still have to get to the sick people in time. 

--Hear your pastor, we have the cure for this world’s sin and separation from God but if we do not get it to the people who need it the most, what have we accomplished?

--We who are born of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) need to expedite this process of getting this good news to every tribe and tongue in the world. And yes, we can do that thru Missions! All of us!

--If the same Spirit (Holy Spirit) that raised Jesus from the dead dwells inside of you, He wants you to be resurrected to make a difference in your sphere of influence. 

Resurrection is for those who were or are dead to rise from their lifeless existence. To come back to life. To stand up and come out of their graves. To awake and live again.

--On the other side of this virus the world is going to be like the walking dead and they are going to need an alive thriving church that has hope, power, and absolute resurrection.

--We are here on this earth filled with Holy Spirit power to make a difference in the people we contact every day and to send out missionaries as much as possible. What are we spreading to those we touch?

Gen 2:7 (NKJV)

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  

--What a beautiful picture of resurrection power and a beautiful picture of what the church should be doing right now. What are we breathing into them? Life? Death? Maybe nothing? We need some Elijahs. 

1 Kings 17:21‑24 (NLT)

21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, please let this child's life return to him." 

22 The LORD heard Elijah's prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he came back to life! 

23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. "Look, your son is alive!" he said. 

24 Then the woman told Elijah, "Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the LORD truly speaks through you."   

--The resurrection message that maybe we need to hear from Elijah is that we need to be stretched in our faith, step out in Holy Spirit power, and make a difference in someone’s life.

--What came to the child? Life and resurrection! Talk is cheap but when the woman received her child back to life, she knew Elijah was a man of God. 

--When the church begins to walk in resurrection power, in Holy Spirit power, and with faith propelled by the Word of God, the world will know that we are the church again!

--We can have such resurrection power in us that even after we pass from this life to the next that we can impact those who are coming behind us. We can leave a legacy. Look at Elisha’s bones. 

2 Kings 13:20‑21 (NLT)

20 Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. 

21 Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the body they were burying into the tomb of Elisha. But as soon as the body touched Elisha's bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet! 

--Earlier I said Holy Spirit is the key to walking in resurrection power and coming out of our graves. 

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NKJV) 
¹  The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
²  Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
³  And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
⁴  Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
⁵  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
⁶  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
⁷  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
⁸  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
⁹  Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "
¹⁰  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
¹¹  Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'
¹²  Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
¹³  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
¹⁴  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " 

--Today we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead by Holy Spirit. How hopeless we would be if we do not believe this wonderful message. 

1 Corinthians 15:3-4&12-17 (NLT2) ³  I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
⁴  He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
¹²  But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?
¹³  For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.
¹⁴  And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
¹⁵  And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
¹⁶  And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
¹⁷  And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 

--Can I please testify to you today that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ is risen and that He changes lives. He changed mine.

--I was not raised in church and my life was spiraling out of control. I was addicted heavily to drugs and drinking hard liquor which at 19, my doctor said was killing me.

--I was a dead man walking. My doctor said if I lived a couple more months it would be a miracle. I could not quit so I told him, I just guess I will die. Something happened! I encountered the resurrected Christ. 

--The evangelist who led me in the sinner’s prayer quoted this verse to me. Watch how it speaks of death and resurrection. Rick died that day!

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) 
²⁰  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

--Years later the evangelist wife told me that all of the people who were saved during that revival that I was the one she knew for sure I wouldn’t continue living for God. But look what God did in my life. 

--Not only did the resurrection power of Jesus set me free from all my addictions but he also called me into the ministry. I pastor a great mission’s church that is touching the world thru almost 200 missionaries.

Romans 8:11 (MSG)

11 It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive‑and‑present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!    

Trust God Not Fear - 3

Trust God Not Fear - 3

Subject – Overcoming Your Fear of Giving in to Temptation

by Rick Weborne

Genesis 4:1-8 (NKJV)
¹  Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD."
²  Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
³  And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
⁴  Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,
⁵  but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
⁶  So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
⁷  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
⁸  Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 

--Last week we looked at guilt, fear, and sorrow and how God desires for us to be free from our past and from our sin. We can’t live here and now if our emotions are tied to something or someone back then.

--If you are human at all, you have done things, said things, caused things in your past that you are so sorry for, but you must trust that God has the power to set you free and to forgive you. Some fear they are not forgiven.

1 John 1:4-9 (NKJV)
⁴  And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
⁵  This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
⁶  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
⁷  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
⁸  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
⁹  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

--What’s your point, Pastor Rick? No matter what you did back then, we must know that if we have received Christ and are loving and serving Him…His blood is enough to take care of our guilt. Stop fearing and trust.

Ephesians 1:3-7 (NKJV)
³  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
⁴  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
⁵  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
⁶  to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
⁷  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…

--I have been redeemed by His blood and I am forgiven of all sin and guilt according to His wonderful grace.

--Today, as we continue this series on Trust God not Fear, I want us to look at the power of desire. We don’t have to fear this enemy. Listen to what God told Cain in our text.

Genesis 4:7 (NKJV)

⁷  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 

--Sin lies at the door and sin’s desire is for you, but you should rule over it. NIV – you must master it. NLT – You must subdue it and be its master. No reason to fear. How is that even possible?

--How many of you know that we are bombarded every day with information that has been created to appeal to our sinful nature and to cause desire. Why is that a dangerous thing?

James 1:12-16 (NIV)
¹²  Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
¹³  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
¹⁴  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
¹⁵  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
¹⁶  Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 

--I see two people in these verses…the person who perseveres under the test, and the one who is tempted, enticed, and drug away by his own evil desire. The latter is opening the door for fear.

--Through phones, social media, Netflix, cable, satellite, computers (whatever the means) this world, this Cosmos has done such a good job of placing sin at the door…not only do we not resist it…we seek it out. 

--So today can we look at what the Lord told Cain and what I truly believe He is telling all of us…Sin lies at the door and sin’s desire is for you, but you should rule over it.

--Today let’s look at three ways to rule over, to master, to subdue these desires, feelings, and emotions. We know these answers but will we find the strength to put them into practice?

1. Don’t fear but stop feeding the beast!

--Why do you call this desire a beast? The Word says that when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. The goal of the beast for you is death…physical and spiritual.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--Desire is hungry, and desire will not stop until you are enticed into the trap and you are destroyed.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT2)
⁸  Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
⁹  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

--It did not take long after I was saved to realize that this Christian life was going to be a battle. Sadly, there were many who were in church already who had surrendered to the enemy. God understands my feelings!

--Someone told me…what you starve dies and what you feed grows and gets stronger. They told me a present day parable about a man who had a vicious dog (our sin nature) and a weak dove (our spiritual man).

--His dog was strong because he had fed it and nurtured it for years. He spent hours every day with this dog. This dog received attention from the man to the point he was neglecting everything else. Fear was rising. 

--The dove was weak to the point of death…he had not been feeding it or giving water to it. He spent no time with it. One day the man’s eyes were opened to what was happening.

--The man was so afraid that his dog was eventually going to get strong enough to kill him and his dove…what am I to do? It came to him like a revelation. Stop feeding the dog (isolate him) and start nurturing the dove. 

--The dog became extremely violent, began to rebel and fight, but started getting weaker. The man began to feed the dove and carried him everywhere he went on his finger…the dove got strong and beautiful.

--The dog finally got so weak he died and the dove flourished and lived. Now I would like to tell you the flesh will eventually die but that is not true…he will always want to revive and thrive. 

--What you starve dies and what you feed grows and gets stronger…feed your spiritual man. Pastor Rick, I have no control over these desires. Really? I think the Word says something different: Stop feeding the beast!

Galatians 5:22-25 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

--God has given us the power to stop feeding the beast…He has given us Holy Spirit and he who has Holy Spirit power has self-control available to them…we must choose to crucify (to kill) our flesh.

Genesis 4:7 (NKJV)

⁷  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  NIV – you must master it. NLT – You must subdue it and be its master. 

2. Don’t fear and start feeding your spiritual man every day.

Psalm 37:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
²  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.
³  Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
⁵  Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 

--Verse 4 is probably one of the most quoted scriptures in the Bible and many times it is quoted out of its context. Many believe that God is obligated to give us the desires of our hearts no matter what those desires are.

--What is David saying here? Don’t worry about evildoers and don’t desire the things they crave. Don’t be afraid. We want so much to be like the world…we want to be accepted by unbelievers…we want to be cool.

--David says to feed your spiritual man:

1. We must trust in the Lord and do good. 

2. Live your life and as you do, feed on His faithfulness (His truth). Feed on His truth, His Word, on Him…eat My flesh and drink My blood! Have communion with Him!

--Here’s what is usually left out when we quote this verse…Delight yourself also in the Lord. To delight yourself in the Lord is to find a high degree of gratification in Him and Him alone. Makes fear flee!

--When I feed my spiritual man by worshiping Jesus, by singing songs of exaltation to Him, when I thank Him for all He is and all He does, when I magnify Him over my mess…I find myself delighting in Him.

Psalm 69:30 (NKJV)
³⁰  I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. 

--This summer when it seemed like my world was spinning way to fast, and to a great degree, out of control, in the middle of my worship one day I said to the Lord…speak to me what You feel I need to hear the most.

--I felt that the Lord spoke to me this…Rick, I want you to know that I am more than enough in your life.

3. Don’t fear and don’t open the door.

Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) ²⁷ ...do not give the devil a foothold. (NCV) ²⁷  Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.

--Don’t open the door to the devil but daily open the door to Jesus and Holy Spirit.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
²⁰  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

The Fear of the Lord - 3

The Fear of the Lord - 3

Subject – Content with Jesus

by Rick Welborne

Isaiah 33:5-6 (NIV)
⁵  The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
⁶  He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. 

Numbers 21:4-9 (NLT2)
⁴  Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,
⁵  and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
⁶  So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.
⁷  Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
⁸  Then the LORD told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”
⁹  So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! 

--Today I have tried to contact many of our people who are hurting or just those God laid on my heart to contact. I hope we all are praying for one another. Three families lost loved ones.

--It seems that our minds are definitely filled with all kinds of questions about what is going on in our world. As we were entering this pandemic with COVID 19, God had spoken to me about the fear of the Lord.

--Today I was actually questioning myself and the Lord about how I am approaching this virus and trying to hear what God is saying about the fear of the Lord. 

--Maybe it is just me, but I see how these two things are tied together but still have questions. As I spoke with a lady from our church up in Minnesota, she exhorted me to continue preaching the Word.

--She said, “Pastor, God is trying to get our attention and He is trying to wake us up. Too many are afraid to speak the truth in love, but you keep preaching the Word of God.” We have said:

The fear of the Lord - can be defined as a continual awareness that you are in the presence of a holy, just, and almighty God, and that every motive, thought, word, and action is open before Him and will be judged by Him.

As I sat here praying for the people I love and the people Tricia and I have invested about half of our lives in, I simply asked God, what is He saying to the church right now.

--I believe he immediately led me to this story in the book of Numbers. I truly believe God has much He wants to say to us so please open up your heart to receive the Word. 

1. The People Grew Impatient.

--God had brought them out of Egypt and had delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh. He set them free from their bondage and oppression. No more whips and beatings. 

--He opened up the Red Sea in front of them so they could walk across on dry land. How awesome is that?

--Pharaoh’s army pursued them and tried to follow them on the floor of the Red Sea (for them it was the Dead Sea). Just saying, but didn’t someone think that was a bad idea?

--If God can make water stand up and part, couldn’t that same God make that water come back together and destroy whoever was in its way or wake? Rage can make us dash into our own disaster.

--We see two sides of God in this story, we see a God Who rescues and a God of judgment who deals with those in rebellion to Him. In America we have only chosen to see the love side of God.

--That being said, when something horrible happens to us or in our world, we begin to question the character of God. The truth is, He has always had both sides, we have just chosen not to acknowledge them. 

Numbers 21:4-5 (NLT2)
⁴  Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,
⁵  and they began to speak against God and Moses.

--Please get this, God delivered them by His mighty hand, He sent plagues on Egypt and Pharaoh, He opened up the Red Sea so they could walk across on dry land. 

--He destroyed their enemy by drowning them. Before that, even though they were complaining, God brought water from a rock.   

Numbers 20:4-5 (NKJV)
⁴  Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?
⁵  And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink."

--Israel became extremely impatient and if we are not careful, we can become impatient with what is going on with COVID 19. Please be careful what comes out of your mouth.

They began to complain against God and against Moses. We are quick to complain against those who are in authority…what they are doing or what they are not doing.

Romans 13:1-5 (NLT2)
¹  Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.
²  So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.
³  For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.
⁴  The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.
⁵  So you must submit to them…

--Please be patient with those in authority, and instead of complaining, pray for them. Be patient with social distancing, be patient with staying home and eating at home.

--I am a people person and I love being with all of you. Oh, what a day when we can get back together and have no more elbow bumps. We will be able to embrace. My restaurant ministry can go full blown. 

--I know none of us probably want to hear this, but when the people began to speak against God and Moses, it was God who sent the snakes among the people. He did it so they would repent. May be good for us.

2. The Secret.

Philippians 4:10-13 (NIV)
¹⁰  I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
¹¹  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
¹²  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
¹³  I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 

--Most of us have heard that last verse to mean I can do anything, I can climb mountains, I can build a great business, I can get wealthy, but the context here is quite different.

--Paul is in prison, yet, he is still teaching and sharing a secret to living in tough times as a Christian. This is one of his prison epistles. Writing to the church in Philippi…First city he hit on his 2^nd missionary journey.

--The church in Philippi remembered Paul and how he blessed them by preaching to gospel so they sent gifts to him. Prisons of that day, if people didn’t come and help you, you were in trouble. He was thankful.

--Paul is sending a letter back with Epaphriditus telling the church that he appreciates the gifts that they have sent him but then, he says something strange…Not because I was in need. What? You are in prison.

--Paul tells them that I have learned a secret in my Christian walk which takes me to a different level. I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. Do you know that is better than a PHD?

--Our education or status in life have very little to do with contentment. You can have more degrees than a thermometer and not be content. You can have the title of CEO or CFO and not be content.

--There will be people, who after this virus has passed, that they will not be content. Something new will get in their crawl. Unhappy people will find a reason to be miserable. Glass always half empty. Social media venting.

--Paul is writing that I have learned that in every situation to be content (he is writing from prison). Can you see how this is being applicable to us, we can’t be together. People have lost jobs.

--People are told to stay at home, cooped up, wondering what will happen, irritation, impatience. But the man who has been beaten, stoned, left for dead, and thrown in prison says I have learned a secret.

--Wouldn’t you want to go to that place where Paul said that he arrived at where that no matter what is going on, he is content? His emotions are not up and down and all over this place. He is okay with where God has him

--Paul said I have learned to be content when I have very little. I have a roof over my head and enough food to live on. Our discontent is obvious by our hoarding everything we can…i.e. toilet paper and paper towels.

--Most of us are so discontented when we have what we consider little. Why do they have plenty of money, a nice house, a fancy care, an I-Phone 11? I want what they have. Not Paul. He learned the secret.

--Paul said I have learned how to be content with plenty. We have seen discontent with people have plenty stressing over what they are losing during this virus. Retirement plans being rattled. We know.

--I had a lady a few years ago call me all upset that in just one day she lost a million dollars in the stock market. I tried to empathize but it was not easy. Two weeks later her money grew by a million and a half.

--Paul said I have learned the secret. I have had little; I have had more. Life changes…I guess we all know that.

--One month ago none of us had any idea that our world would change so quickly. People being told to stay home. You can only shop at certain times. Restaurants closed. People getting sick and dying. Struggling!

--So what are we going to do? Are we going to sit around in fear and worry? Are we going to trust God and attempt to learn the same secret that Paul learned? To be content and rest in Jesus.

--Our son Jeremy had one of those slips of the tongue the other day that made Tricia and I laugh so hard. He said: We all have a skeleton full of closets! Of course he meant: We have a closet full of skeletons!

--As we look at this Pandemic I think he may have been right in what he accidently said. We are struggling as if we are a shell of what we used to be and it is exposing the closets we have hidden in our lives. 

--The secret in this Pandemic that makes us content, whether we are in prison, in isolation, with little, with much, with fear or worry, we have Jesus with us! Isn’t Jesus enough! I’d Rather Have Jesus!

--So how did Paul get to the secret place of I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me? Having much or having little? How could he get there?

--I am sure Paul first thought about what Jesus went through. We may have it tough but nothing like Jesus. As we enter the time of the passion of Christ, remember Him. Next week join us for communion.

--Think about what Jesus went through when He knew He would have to bear the sins of the world. So hard to imagine. If Jesus could go thru what He went thru, can’t we get thru this? We don’t have to wear the crown.

--Think about those who have it worse than we do. Think of those on ventilators, think of the health care professionals being exposed every day, think of our military and first responders on the front line.

--Paul learned that whatever we go through, it has a beginning and an end. We will get through this with God!

Psalm 30:2-5 (NKJV)
²  O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
³  O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
⁴  Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
⁵  For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. 

3. A Snake on a Pole

--What’s that all about? So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 

--So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! What a strange way for people to be healed. Maybe it was a type.

John 3:14-16 (NKJV)
¹⁴  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
¹⁵  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
¹⁶  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

--Jesus is still the answer…look to Him Who hung on the cross (like the snake on the pole). A snake on a pole?

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) ²¹  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him

Trust God Not Fear – 2

Trust God Not Fear – 2

Subject – Dealing with Guilt Which is a Type of Fear

by Rick Welborne

Psalm 51:3-14 (NKJV)
³  For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
⁴  Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
⁵  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
⁷  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸  Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
⁹  Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹  Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
¹³  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
¹⁴  Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 

1. Miriam-Webster – Guilt - the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty. 

2. Guilt - the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously. Feelings of deserving blame especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy. Fear of blame.

3. Guilt - a feeling of deserving blame for offenses. Fear of consequences.

--Whenever God leads me to preach something (Trust God Not Fear) He always deals with me personally (like about my fear of cancer) or leads me to someone who is fighting guilt or fear.

--Today we are looking at this emotion of guilt. David had to deal with his guilt after being confronted by the prophet Nathan. You are the man…David, you are the guilty person. Fear – caught.

--I was speaking to someone the other day and we were just having a normal conversation and I thought we were done…this person asked…can I please talk to you about something? Of course!

--Before I knew it, this person was confessing guilt and condemnation about things that had happened in their life probably more than thirty years ago. Their pain and guilt were very real to them.

--We expressed from the first sermon of this series that there is an “Accuser of the brethren” who attacks God’s children night and day…he had not let up on this person for thirty years. Caused fear.

--Now, we could take a survey tonight and probably find out that there are a great number of God’s children who are living in constant guilt, fear, and condemnation. Satan harassing you.

--Unfortunately, Satan is good at what he does because the person I was talking to, as I shared several scriptures, said, I know what the Bible says but I still feel guilty and ashamed.

Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
²  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 

--The Word of God says there is no condemnation and that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free. Sadly, we live in condemnation and we are not free from guilt or fear.

--King David evidently was not bothered by his conscience after committing adultery and having a man killed to cover his sin…it took Nathan showing up. What’s your point, Pastor Rick? 

--We cannot always trust our consciences to lead us into all truth because our consciences can be affected by how will live and what we think.

1 Corinthians 8:7 (NLT2)
⁷  However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.

Titus 1:15 (NLT2)
¹⁵  Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
²  speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 

--Our consciences can be weak, our consciences can be violated, and our consciences can be corrupted and seared…in other words our consciences can even die. I think we all have met people like this.

--A poll was taken among children ages 5 thru 9 on the question, “What is conscience?” One 6-year-old girl said a conscience is the spot inside that “burns if you’re not good.”

--A 6-year-old boy said he didn’t know, but it had something to do with feeling bad when you kicked little dogs and girls. A nine-year-old girl explained it as the voice inside you that said “no” when you want to do something like beat up your little brother. Her conscience had saved him many times. 

James Dobson – Adults have also found the conscience difficult to define. I tend to believe that a sense of guilt occurs when we violate our inner code of conduct. Guilt is a message of disapproval from the conscience which says, in effect, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

--In over forty years of ministry I have found that there is no lack of believers who struggle with guilt, shame, fear, and sorrow. Satan makes sure you never forget what you did way back then.

1. There is an answer for this kind of guilt.

Romans 7:18-24 (NIV)
¹⁸  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
¹⁹  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
²⁰  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹  So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
²²  For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 

²³  but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 

²⁴  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 

--J. Vernon McGee says this is not an unbeliever struggling with sin and guilt but a believer who is in a major battle between his old nature and his new nature…let’s face it, we have all been there. 

--When we fight against sin and lose the battled…we feel guilty. When we want to do what is right and we don’t, we feel guilt and shame. When we try to move on from our past & we can’t, we feel guilt-condemnation.

--Many say and I have probably said…this body of death was a practice of barbarians who were extremely brutal in their punishment: I agree with Barnes’s Notes on the NT.  

Barnes’s Notes: Some have supposed that he refers to a custom practiced by ancient tyrants, of binding a dead body to a captive as a punishment, and compelling him to drag the cumbersome and offensive burden with him wherever he went. I do not see any evidence that the apostle had this in view.

--The truth is we cannot speculate exactly what Paul was thinking but Barnes goes on to say that this is probably the best illustration that could be given about what Paul was going through. Imagine the fear.

--The friend I mentioned earlier was crying out to me basically, who is going to deliver me from this body of death…this thing that has attached itself to me for over thirty years. He was afraid.

--What a wretched man I am! I can’t believe I did that to that person or those people. I can’t believe I sinned against God by doing this! I feel so much guilt, shame, and sorrow for my sin. This person is in torment.

--The sad thing is this…this person and probably every other person in this situation have asked God at least a thousand times for forgiveness and have truly repented. Satan is unrelenting. I am wretched and afraid.

Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee - This is not an unsaved man who is crying, "O wretched man that I am"; this is a saved man. The word wretched carries with it the note of exhaustion because of the struggle. "Who is going to deliver me?" He is helpless. His shoulders are pinned to the floor -- he has been wrestled down. Like old Jacob, he has been crippled. He is calling for help from the outside.

--So Who can deliver us from this guilt and condemnation of the enemy who accuses us night and day?

Romans 7:25 (NIV)
²⁵  Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

Romans 8:1-4 (NKJV)
¹  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
²  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
³  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

⁴  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but 

according to the Spirit. 

2. There is help in the Word of God for those who feel guilt about children who are not serving God.

--One of the tools the enemy likes to use against us is condemnation and guilt about kids who have chosen a different path. You messed up…you got angry in front of them…you sinned in front of them…you argued!

--Let me establish here, if the only children who grew up to serve God were the ones who had parents who did everything right, and who were never bad examples, or who never sinned, wouldn’t be any kids living right!

Romans 3:23 (NKJV)
²³  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

--The Book of Romans tells us later that each one of us will bow our knees and confess with our tongues Jesus is Lord and we will give account of ourselves before God. Rom. 14:11-12 We all have a choice!

Ezekiel 18:19-22&30-32 (NLT2)
¹⁹  “‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live.
²⁰  The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.
²¹  But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.
²²  All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.
³⁰  “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!
³¹  Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?
³²  I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live! 

3. Guilt or sorrow that is good.

--I believe we have the opportunity to turn these feelings and emotions of guilt (fear) around for good. Listen to what Paul said to the people about a tough letter he had written to them:

2 Corinthians 7:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
¹⁰  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
¹¹  For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

--Godly sorrow or guilt that drives us to our knees and to repentance is good. It can lead us into a right relationship with God and with each other (our families and our church).

2 Corinthians 7:11 (NLT2)
¹¹  Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.